More than 50 House Democrats sign letter urging Mattis to reject Trump’s trans military ban

Little more than a week after Trump proposed via Twitter an all-out ban on transgender people serving in the United States military, more than 50 House Democrats have come together to urge Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford against enacting the ban.

As members of Congress with an abiding interest in our nation's military and its policies towards the LGBTQ community, we write to not only express our strong opposition to President Trump's recent tweets seeking to ban transgender individuals from the military, but to remind you not to comply with any unconstitutional directive which may ultimately be issued.

The letter was signed by 53 Democrats in Congress, and was organized by top Democrats on the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees, the Hill reported on Friday.

Trump's tweets announcing a ban on trans service members was met by outrage, even from some members of his own party.

The day after Trump made the declaration, Dunford said in a letter to senior military leadership that there would be "no modifications to the current policy until the president's direction has been received by the secretary of defense and the secretary has issued implementation guidance."

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Senators react to ban on transgender people in the military

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Senators react to ban on transgender people in the military

"We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so — and should be treated as the patriots they are," McCain said.

(Photo credit BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi noted in a statement that the date of Trump's announcement coincided with the date President Harry Truman desegregated the military in 1948.

"Sixty-nine years later, President Trump has chosen this day to unleash a vile and hateful agenda that will blindside thousands of patriotic Americans already serving with honor and bravery," Pelosi said. "This disgusting ban will weaken our military and the nation it defends."

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama was first told of Trump's announcement during a CNN interview, responding that he wanted to read the policy's wording but was sure the Senate will hold hearings on the matter. "You ought to treat everybody fairly and you ought to give everybody a chance to serve," he said.

(Photo by Zach Gibson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Iraq War veteran who lost her legs in combat, called the ban "discriminatory and counterproductive to our national security."

(Photo by Zach Gibson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"When my Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Iraq, I didn't care if the American troops risking their lives to help save me were gay, straight, transgender or anything else. All that mattered was they didn't leave me behind," Duckworth said in a statement. "If you are willing to risk your life for our country and you can do the job, you should be able to serve — no matter your gender identity, sexual orientation, or race."

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

When Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah was asked whether he stood with the state's transgender community, Hatch responded "Yes" on Twitter, then released a longer statement saying "I don't think we should be discriminating against anyone."

Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown said in a statement the military "should not turn away anyone who is willing and able to serve this country and help keep Americans safe."

Now House Democrats are warning Mattis against implementing the ban at all, saying that doing so would violate federal rules preventing discrimination on the basis of sex, and that implementing Trump's proposed ban would mean making changes based on "arbitrary and capriciously issued tweets."

"We believe any serious or credible review of the law and the facts in the present case make it clear that the president's proposed ban on transgender people serving in the armed forces will weaken, not strengthen our military, and is blatantly unconstitutional," the letter concluded.

In an email on Friday, Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Stephen Peters called Trump's proposed ban "an all-out war on the LGBTQ community" and expressed gratitude for the "overwhelming bipartisan outrage over this assault on transgender service members, including from House Democrats who are calling on the Pentagon in this letter to protect the men and women who are willing to risk their lives for our nation."